The options for getting from Budapest to Krakow were all unappealing. The 9-hour train ride had a mandatory bus ride to get around line construction, the flight was not direct, took many hours, and was expensive, and the Flixbus was seven hours with 6 stops. So I took the Flixbus. I’m sure it was the least bad option, but it was still a bit grueling.
The upside was that it went right the way through Slovakia, a country to which I’d never been and it was beautiful. It looks like a good place for skiing or hiking.
The bus was stopped at the Polish border and we had to show our passports. The economic improvement when we drove into Poland was immediate. The houses were nicer, newer, and cleaner, and the farms looked prosperous. The towns we passed were much more modern. We soon arrived in Krakow and I liked what I saw right away. There were blocks of modern flats with sharp-looking public transport everywhere. The bus stopped at a modern joint bus/train station and I found an Uber who took me to my Airbnb. It is the coolest Airbnb I’ve ever stayed at. It’s perfectly equipped and really comfortable.
I took a walk all around my place in the old part of Krakow then had dinner. I chose to come to Krakow over say, Warsaw, because Krakow still retains its old sights. I think Warsaw was destroyed and then rebuilt after the war. Budapest had the feeling of being all rebuilt. In fact, I saw a building going up near the castle that was being built of concrete but clearly was made to look old when it was done.
This morning when I woke up, it was raining so I took a photo walk before the weather got any worse and bought some yummy pastries at the bakery below my apartment. Later I’m going to visit the castle and tomorrow I’m going to Auschwitz. I’ve never forgotten my trip to another concentration camp near Munich called Dachau 35 years ago.
